Father Knows Best
by FieryArtemis
Summary: Gabriel Agreste notices some strange behavior between his son and one of his classmates and decides to give Adrien some much needed advice. Now a two-shot
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I would like to preface this by saying that I don't actually fully believe that Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth. This is probably way AU and totally OOC but I thought it would be fun to write anyways.

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The town car pulled away from the school's curb. The black haired girl was still standing on the sidewalk waving awkwardly as her friend stood beside her and shook her head. Her strange behavior had caught Gabriel Agreste's eye the moment the car had stopped for Adrien. She was chatting animatedly with his son about something or other all while pulling at her hair and smiling nervously. He wasn't so old as to not recognize a girl with a crush. His own late wife had once been that way. Adrien's mother hadn't been able to stop brushing her hair behind her ear when she'd talked to Gabriel when they were young. Adrien's classmate seemed vaguely familiar to him.

"That girl…" Gabriel said slowly as his son buckled his seatbelt. Adrien looked up abruptly with a tint of surprise on his face. "She was the one who won the design contest awhile back was she not?"

"Y… yeah." stuttered Adrien.

Gabriel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "The hat she created was lovely even if it did send you into a sneezing fit. Do you know if she's done anything else? She seems talented. Or was her hat a one time brilliance?"

"I saw her sketchbook once. She's very talented. I pegged her to win immediately after I saw some of her other ideas." Adrien replied as he shot Gabriel a curious look. Gabriel met the look with a small nod of approval. The famous Agreste eye for fashion was showing in his son. It rarely happened but it was wonderful when it did.

"I see. What's her name?"

"Um… Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"A lovely name. What are her parents like?" mused Gabriel.

"I'm not sure. I've never met them." Adrien said. He looked at Gabriel warily.

Gabriel waved his hand dismissively, "Ah no matter. That's what smartphones are for. Don't you agree?"

"Papa? What are you getting at? Why are you suddenly so interested in my classmate?" Adrien asked in confusion. The gaping fish look only got worse when Gabriel started pressing buttons on his phone.

"Hm… a prominent bakery and in good standing with the community." Gabriel summarized the review more for himself than for anyone else. Not the most elegant of backgrounds but it could most certainly be worse. Gabriel could concede that. This Marinette Dupain-Cheng girl might not be Chloe Bourgeois but, again, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Chloe had been a wonderful friend to Adrien when he was a boy; however, her father spoiled her. Monsieur Bourgeois was no better than his daughter. How many times had Adrien told him stories about how the mayor had gone stomping around the school to get his way for his daughter? Far too many times Gabriel was sure. Chloe had turned into a horribly selfish girl with absolutely no sense of her own creativity. Actually, if Gabriel remembered correctly, Chloe had tried to copy Marinette's winning hat. Another point to Marinette. She had the bravery to stand up for herself and the cunning to nip copycats in the bud. Yes, that was very good. He rubbed his chin and weighed the options. "Perhaps you should invite Mademoiselle Cheng to one of your photo shoots so she can see first hand some of the latest fashions."

"You never answered my question." Adrien reminded him. The boy crossed his arms and stared at Gabriel.

It was Gabriel's turn to look at Adrien in confusion. "I care about who you surround yourself with son because I care about you."

"Yeah, I know. It took you two months before you decided that Nino was cool and that I could 'officially' hang out with him." Adrien shot back. He uncrossed his arms to make air quotes above his head with his fingers.

"Yes well Mademoiselle Cheng seems like a nice enough girl and if you wish to spend more time with her then I'm perfectly alright by that. I was simply suggesting something for you two to do that would be of interest to her."

"Wait, what?" Adrien shook his head.

"The Agreste family _and_ company could benefit from a talented young woman such as Mademoiselle Marinette one day. If you are pursuing her romantically you should take interest in things that she enjoys. I know you despise modelling but she might find it an inspiring experience. Who knows… perhaps if you take her along you'll find modelling a little more enjoyable."

"Me and Marinette? Papa, are you giving me _dating_ advice?" Adrien asked incredulously.

Gabriel sighed and pushed his glasses up so that he could massage the bridge of his nose. How could his son be so horribly oblivious? "Yes Adrien. You are absolutely hopeless when it comes to that sort of thing."

To his surprise, Adrien began laughing. He balled himself up in his seat and laughed so hard that his eyes watered. Gabriel raised a critical eyebrow at his son. Adrien somehow managed to pull himself together again. "Papa you have it all wrong. Marinette and I are just friends. That's it. I promise you."

"Just friends?" Gabriel repeated. Adrien nodded in confirmation. That's when it occurred to Gabriel that his son was even more oblivious than he thought. The boy clearly had no idea how the girl felt towards him. How tragic for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Gabriel sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "I see. Nevermind then."

Adrien drew back. The look on his face was a mixture of confusion and hurt. Gabriel offered him a smile and patted him on the shoulder fondly. "You are a sweet, kind boy Adrien. I'm sure you'll find a girl worthy of you."

A bright red color spread across Adrien's face. He turned away, pointedly not looking at Gabriel, and brushed his finger over _that_ ring. Gabriel just barely kept himself from sighing. Perhaps it wasn't that his son was oblivious. Perhaps Adrien was merely blinded by his affection for another girl.

Gabriel had done his best that his son had all the tools he would need to succeed in life. Tried to give Adrien everything he might want. Yet for all his attempts to protect Adrien, he hadn't been able keep the boy safe from his fate. A talented girl with unending potential like Marinette Dupain-Cheng would be a much safer choice for Adrien's affections. Alas, he was unfortunate. He just hoped that Ladybug didn't destroy what was left of Gabriel Agreste's family.


	2. Chapter 2

Contrary to what the world believed, Gabriel Agreste could not split the skies in two and bring rain down upon the Earth. Nor could he, in fact, create a villainous weather girl to manipulate the weather. What Gabriel _could_ do was look at atmospheric models and listen to meteorologists to make an educated guess as to when Paris was next due for a rather heavy rainstorm. He also had access to his oblivious son's schedule and engagements. It was quite simple to rearrange, cancel, and create appointments as needed. With those factors considered it took very little to ensure that Adrien would not be available to his beloved new girlfriend on the day that a torrential downpour hit the city.

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng." he called out the barely cracked window. He didn't precisely want more rain water than was absolutely necessary dripping on to him.

The girl in question, one Marinette Dupain-Cheng, spun on her heel to look at him. Though she held an umbrella, she was positively soaked. Her little frame shivered as they met each other's glances. The poor thing didn't have any sustenance to her. She was probably freezing. "Monsieur Agreste?" she answered in confusion.

Good heavens! With that look Gabriel could see why she and Adrien were so well matched for each other. They made quite the pair with their complementary naivete. "I don't believe you've noticed young lady but it is rather wet outside." he pointed out to her, raising his eyebrow at her.

Marinette stuck her hand out from under her umbrella and laughed. "Maybe just a little."

Gabriel smiled lightly at her. He also had control of one other crucial thing… a nice, warm, and dry car. Without it his entire plan would've been impossible.

"Please get in my dear." he said. The locks on the doors audibly unlocked. "Allow me to drive you home."

"Oh no! I couldn't impose. I'd get your seats all wet."

"It's only water. It will dry." Gabriel waved his hand dismissively. She chewed on her bottom lip pensively. He kept a pleasant smile on his face. He'd expected hesitation. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng didn't know him well so it was natural. They'd only interacted once and it had been the time that Adrien formally introduced her as his girlfriend. "You don't expect me to allow my son's girlfriend to walk home in this rain. What would he say? What would your parents think of me?"

"If… if you insist." Marinette said after a half moment more of hesitation.

Gabriel leaned back in his seat. He smirked. All according to plan. However, he quickly returned to his pleasant smile as Marinette slid into the town car across from him.

"Thank you sir." she told him with genuine gratitude. After dealing with entitled heiresses, their fathers, and difficult millionaires it felt truly refreshing to have someone appreciate an out of the way kind of gesture.

"Think nothing of it."

The car pulled away from the curb and back into traffic. Yet another thing he couldn't control but again had been able to predict. People tended to forget how to drive in the rain. It worked all to the benefit of his plan.

The girl took a minute or so to situate herself in the car. It was much different than anything she was used to so he allowed herself the time to feel more comfortable. Gabriel saw no reason why Mlle. Dupain-Cheng couldn't feel a little more at ease when he asked her the questions that he so desired answers for. It might even make her a little more amenable to answering the more 'challenging' ones so he waited patiently as Marinette looked about the car in awe. She brushed her hair back behind her ear, fingers passing lightly over her earrings. Those damn earrings…

Everything about meeting Marinette Dupain-Cheng had been going wonderfully well up until he'd seen and recognized those earrings. Simple round black studs. Benign if not a little plain to his designer eye. That, though, he knew was a complete and utter ruse. Exactly like the plain silver ring that Adrien wore. Gabriel's entire life would've been so much more simple if the girl his son had chose was normal. It would've done wonders for his sanity and nerves.

Which was why he'd lured her to his car in the first place.

"So tell me Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, are you and my son planning anything special for this weekend?" he asked her lightly.

She blushed, "Please MM. Agreste. Just call me Marinette. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng sounds too formal."

"Very well then Marinette. Have you anything special planned this weekend? It's my understanding that it's a very important day this upcoming Saturday."

Mlle. Dupain-Cheng clearly didn't understand what he was getting at.

"It's my understanding that the mayor made the day a citywide holiday. It _is_ the anniversary of the Stoneheart incident afterall. I believe he told me in passing there was some kind of festival?"

"Oh! That…"

The girl looked mildly embarrassed. Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink that he'd heard Adrien call adorable on more occurrences than felt seemly. Humility was an important trait though and it served her just as well as her outspoken confidence. Gabriel couldn't fault her for it. Then it passed. Rather quickly actually. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng cleared her throat. "Adrien and I talked about doing something after the street fair was over in the evening."

Gabriel didn't doubt that. They probably preferred privacy for such an event. "But not to the festivities themselves though. Such a shame. You, I'm sure, are aware of just how much of a Ladybug fan Adrien is."

"Yeah, it's kind of hard not to notice." she murmured. Unsurprisingly, she blushed and tried unsuccessfully to hide it from him. Gabriel curled his hand tighter into the side of his pants out of her line of sight. Mlle. Dupain-Cheng was a kind girl. A sweet girl. He'd always maintained that even when Adrien was completely ignorant to her feelings. Nothing about that particularly had changed. Which made this all the more difficult for him.

"He is rather obvious in his idolization isn't he. His mother was much the same. She could never truly hide her enthusiasm or passions even if she tried."

"Adrien doesn't talk much about her." Mlle. Dupain-Cheng said quietly. She shifted in her seat, hands fidgeting in her lap like she was trying to figure out what to do with them.

"Losing her was very hard on him. He misses her terribly. We both do."

"From what he does say about her, she sounds like she was an amazing person."

Gabriel laughed a little, "That was one word for it. Sometimes I can't help but see her in him. It's the case more often than not. His smile is her smile. His eyes are her eyes. His spirit is hers. I'll fully admit that much of my… reluctance to allow Adrien to engage in what you and your classmates consider 'normal' teenager activities stems from my personal feelings after the loss of my wife."

She pressed her lips together and didn't say anything. He could see the gears in her mind turning as she wondered what the best thing to say to him would be. Finally, with deliberate cheerfulness, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng said, "Well I think it's great that you let him. I think going to public school and meeting new people has been really good for him."

And it was time…

"I would do _anything_ for my son." Gabriel told her seriously. The sudden shift in tone caught her off guard. The girl looked at him with wide eyes. Probably wondering if she'd said something wrong. He ignored the look and went on. "Adrien can be incredibly reckless. Another trait that he shares… shared with his mother. As his father I will go to any length necessary to protect him."

"I would never hurt him." Mlle. Dupain-Cheng told him firmly. Her backbone came to her aid quickly it seemed.

He nodded in agreement, "Meeting you has definitely been good for him. However, you must understand something Mlle. Dupain-Cheng and understand it well. Adrien is my pride and joy and the only family that I have left. That boy cares deeply about you and has for a very long time. He would do anything to protect you and I'm sure he already has shown you just how far he would go."

She went rigid in her seat. Her hand curled around the strap of her purse and watched him with wide eyes. A realization crossed her face. For a very brief second it almost looked as though she were going to touch her earrings. Then she caught herself and forced her hand back into her lap. "MM. Agreste I…"

He held his hand up and cut her off. "All I'm asking you, as his father, is to do the same for him. If you hold Adrien with even a fraction of the same esteem that he holds you in then you will agree with me. Should anything ever happen to him, an akuma would be the very least of Paris's problems. As I said, he is the only thing I have left in this world and if he were to be taken from me…"

"I will always have his back. I would never let anything happen to Adrien."

Gabriel had always been very good at telling when someone was being less than truthful to him. He could pick out insincerity from a mile away. It was all a part of him being an exemplary business man. He refused to abide lies and falsehoods. There'd been more than one hopeful designer, associate, and customer that he'd thrown their attempts at subterfuge back at their faces. Marinette Dupain-Cheng did not have a single trace of insincerity in her entire being as she swore the words to him.

He leaned back in his seat. Finally, he let a smile cross his face. A genuine one. Not the pleasant business smile that he used with clients. "Very well then. I am satisfied. I believe this is your house my dear."

Mlle. Dupain-Cheng jolted, head whipping around to look out the window. She turned back to face him. "MM. Agreste…" she started, exceedingly tentative. "Does Adrien know that you, um, _know_? About him being, well…"

Gabriel tipped his head to the side, "Know? About what? I'm afraid that I've no idea what you're talking about. Now run along before the rain comes down even harder."

They sat there quietly for what must have felt like an eternity for Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. The entire time her eyes ran up and down him. Appraising him, he knew. Trying to figure out exactly what to think of him and probably what she thought her next move should be. Understandable. He offered her another smile. Finally she shifted and moved towards the door handle. "Thank you for the ride home sir." she said before opening the door.

"For what it's worth… Marinette," he said. "I _do_ actually like you."

That caught her off guard. She blinked in confusion. It passed quickly though. Her bright smile returned as she stepped out of the car into the rain. Gabriel watched as she sprinted for the front door of her parent's bakery. The car pulled away from the sidewalk after she was safely inside. Not a moment too soon because the rain poured down in sheets. He settled back into his seat and stared out the rain pelted window.

When Adrien found out about this particular car ride, because Gabriel didn't doubt that Mlle. Dupain-Cheng would tell him, there was bound to be some childish whining. He could already hear Adrien's overdramatics and claims that he'd kidnapped Marinette. However, Gabriel couldn't help but wonder what else Mlle. Dupain-Cheng would tell him about their meeting.

Whatever she did or didn't tell Adrien mattered very little. Gabriel was more than ready for whatever _miraculous_ situations came his way.


End file.
